//------------------------------// // Wherein There Are No Friendly Skies // Story: Filly Fantasy VI - The Return of Magic // by The Wyld Stallynz //------------------------------// The Paradise sped through the sky, putting as much distance between itself and Mt. Chozo as possible. Once the airship had reached a point that the clouds circling the mountain were a faint haze against the horizon, Trixie faced Derpy and asked, “How did you get your esper to do that?” Derpy, curled up on the deck like a sleepy cat, lazily opened up one eye to stare up at the unicorn. “I asked him,” she murmured. She gave a great yawn and closed her eye. “Hey, stay with me!” Trixie poked Derpy in the chest, earning a moan and a swiping hoof as though Derpy were trying to shoo away a bothersome fly. “This is need to know information! We’re still alive because of what you did.” A white hoof gently guided Trixie’s away from the snoring pegasus. “Ease up, will ya?” Shining Armor said. “It took a lot out of her, you see?” Keeping his hoof up, he pushed Trixie back until they were a few paces away. “I think I can answer for her.” “Oh?” Trixie slapped his hoof away and gave him a half-lidded stare. “And how did you come across this knowledge?” “Twilight’s father.” Trixie had the good grace to pin her ears back and look away. “Oh.” “Yeah. He gave us a few pointers right after we bonded with the espers. Turns out if you have enough magic built up you can summon the spirit of the esper that bonded with you.” He coughed and looked away. “I haven’t been able to do it yet.” “Trixie gets it.” She nodded and walked past him. “It looks like more practice is in order.” She past by the snoozing form of Derpy and trotted up to Pinkie Pie who was at her position at the Paradise’s wheel. “Ah, I was just about to talk to you,” Pinkie said before Trixie could get a word out. “We got a new party member!” Pinkie Pie declared, pumping a hoof to the air. She raised her voice to reach everyone on board. “So, where we off to next?” A few minutes of murmuring between the assembled ponies and chocobo passed, starting with suggestions of towns they haven’t visited yet and progressing to thoughts of doubling back to see if people they had met had any new information. Shining Armor cleared his throat, gaining everyone’s attention. “Well, how do we feel about ex-Imperials?” A hesitant look passed between the Returners while Trixie rolled her eyes. Applejack broke the silence. “Suppose it depends on who you’re talkin’ about.” Shining Armor bit his lower lip, pawing at the airship deck. “It’s that general that we met at Mareanda. I ran into her when I was heading towards Chozo. I thought I was going to have to fight her but she was actually pretty pleasant.” “She was wearing a slave crown like Twilight was,” Applejack explained. “When it was taken off she started helping us.” “Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense. I didn’t talk with her for long but she did say she was heading towards the Veldt to see her people.” Sunset Shimmer groaned, rubbing her forehead. “She’s not going to find it there. When the Hydra’s Trench rose up it split part of the Veldt off. The zebra village is now south of it.” “That’s no biggie!” Pinkie Pie said from her position at the helm. “We can just pick her up and take her to the right spot.” “Actually, I’m liking this idea. We can check up on Twilight while we’re there.” Pinkie Pie nodded. “Seems like I have a heading. Off we go!” With a twist of the wheel, the Paradise shifted course, heading east. Hours passed as the airship breezed through the sky, over land and water. On the way, Pinkie spotted an odd curiosity, a floating cloud colored pink. Despite the others’ protests, the Paradise flew closer to it. Trixie rushed up to the captain. “Are you crazy?! This has the stink of Discord all over it.” “Oh, c’mon,” Pinkie said, casually waving a hoof. “You gotta lighten up a bit. Not everything in this world has been touched by him.” Just as Pinkie finished saying that, a bird entered into the cloud. A few seconds passed before it reemerge on the other end, one of its wings now twice its length and its neck stretched out as long and thin as a snake. Pinkie Pie twisted the airship away from the cloud. “Okay, yeah, that’s a whole lotta nope.” She picked up a microphone from somewhere and said, “Girls, be on the lookout for random pink puffs of cotton candy. And I don’t mean me.” She set the microphone away and continued guiding the Paradise on its course. .o.O.o. Hours later, as the Returners fell into a relaxed state, Maud sat at the port bow of the ship, scanning the sky with a small telescope in hoof. It was as she made the seventh pass since her shift began she paused, cocked her head, and set the telescope down. Calmly, she collapsed the telescope down and placed it in her crew pony outfit pocket, turned, and walked towards Pinkie Pie. Her sister still piloted the airship, looking as happy and peaceful as she had before the world had changed. Maud sighed, frowning as she relayed her news. “Pinkie, I found something.” Pinkie Pie regarded Maud with a smile. “What’s up? Another one of those clouds?” “No. This thing is smaller, black, and heading right this way.” Cocking her head, Pinkie said, “Oh, really? What do you suppose it is?” Wild and maniacal laughter filled the air moments before a dark shape zipped passed the Paradise on the port side, rocking the ship in its turbulent wake. “Nothing friendly, that’s for sure.” Pinkie Pie grimaced as she fought to keep the airship stable, yelling out, “Get the others up here! Looks like we’ve got an unexpected party guest!” Nodding, Maud galloped away, disappearing down the stairs towards the cabins. Long seconds ticked by as Pinkie waited for her return. Her eyebrow twitched. As if possessed by a force controlling her actions, Pinkie thrust the wheel forward, sending the Paradise into a sudden nosedive. The same dark laughter as before passed by, the black form narrowly missing the airship’s balloon. Wrenching the wheel back into place, Pinkie righted the Paradise into a cruising position. Moments later, Returners began scrambling up from below deck, some sporting new bruises. “What is going on?!” Trixie cried out, her mane disheveled. “Warn us if you’re going to do something like that again!” Pinkie Pie ignored her, calling out towards Shining Armor, “Get a shield up around us! Now!” Hearing the desperation in her voice, Shining Armor complied without question. His horn lit up a soft pink, and a field of matching color shimmered around the airship. Just as the crew began to relax, a powerful force of bluish-black miasma struck the stern side, rocking the deck. The stallion winced, gritting his teeth against the impact on his shield. “Impressive! This will be more sport than I first thought!” A figure descended from above, slowly revealing itself from the cover of the Paradise’s blimp. It was equine and female, but much larger than any pony the Returners had ever seen, nearly twice the size of Big Macintosh. Her coat was a deep black and her dark blue starry mane and tail waved in an ethereal wind. Two large wings beat against the air while a long horn jutted from her head. The dark pony wore light blue armor, an ornate chest piece, four greaves for her hooves, and a helmet that formed around her horn and mane. However, what most drew the group's attention were the two green, slitted eyes that revealed naked malice and the pony’s grin that showed off cruel, sharp teeth. The pony spoke in a voice that commanded respect. “I had heard rumors that some foolish ponies had invaded my skies. Maybe some dimwit pegasi that thought to wrest my realm away from me. Imagine my surprise and delight to find a contraption such as this has dared challenge me! My subjects, you have changed mightily in the thousand years I’ve been gone!” The Returners looked to each other with quizzical faces. Derpy, meanwhile, hid behind Big Macintosh, her frame shaking. Pinkie Pie raised a hoof. “Um, who are you again?” The dark pony scoffed, her wide grin morphing into a sneer. “Have I been gone so long that you no longer recognize your true ruler? Has my crown lost all meaning?” She spread her hooves and wings apart, showing off her full size. “I am Nightmare Moon! And soon, I will reclaim my birthright and rule under an endless night!” She threw her head back and laughed maniacally. Limestone rolled her eyes. “Where do these nutters keep coming from?” Despite the distance and a shield separating them, Nightmare Moon heard her and snapped her gaze down on the earth pony. “What did you say?!” The sheer venom and volume of the voice made all the ponies cringe. “I see you need some convincing. Allow me to tear your vessel asunder and plunge you to your deaths. Perhaps then you will understand my might!” With a loud cry, Nightmare Moon reared back and launched a black laser at the ship. Shining Armor let out a pained groan and sank to his knees, the shield around the airship dulling. “I-I don’t know h-how long I can last!” “Hold on for just a little bit longer!” Trixie said, drawing her sword. “We’ll have Derpy draw her attention then hit her then—” She looked around for the pegasus mare but there was no sign of her on deck. “Wait, where did she go? Trixie saw her come up with us.” Any further discussion was cut short as Shining Armor gave one last grunt of exertion before the barrier shattered into thousands of magical motes. “Ha! A valiant effort but now you are mine!” Nightmare Moon flew forwards, landing hard on the deck and shattering the wood paneling around her. The Returners drew back, slowly spreading out and forming a half-circle around her. “Perhaps if you all surrender now and pledge fealty to me, I may spare your lives.” Trixie held her sword at the ready. “No way are we joining up with one of Discord’s pets.” “I am not his pet!” Nightmare Moon roared. “He is a worm that will soon grovel at my hooves. And just for that, you die first!” The dark pony charged her horn and fired a beam at Trixie. The attack impacted Save the Queen, the magic running down the blade and traveling to Trixie’s horn where she gratefully absorbed it. Nightmare Moon’s mouth hung open in disbelief. “How?” Smirking, Trixie said, “We’ve got some magic tricks of our own.” A quick chant later and an icicle laced with black magic shot forwards. Nightmare Moon slapped it with a wing, breaking it into crystal shards. “I am not impressed,” Nightmare Moon stated. She shook her wing, trying to dislodge the ice that now stuck to her feathers. She didn’t get far as fire, ice, crossbolts, and aurabolts launched towards her, forcing her to retreat to the air. “Foals, all of you!” She rose up higher though with less grace than before as her encased wing slowed her down. Her horn sparked as she took aim for the blimp. “Shining, get another shield up!” Trixie said. Shining Armor gritted his teeth and his horn lit up. A small magical field winked into place just as Nightmare Moon fired. The tiny shield deflected the attack, sending the oncoming projectile careening away, but disappeared shortly after. Trixie ran up to him, quickly casting a healing spell over the stallion. “Again, quick!” “I’m trying!” Shining Armor braced himself but no matter how much he strained, no more magic poured forth. “Stardust! Get over here and give him one of those magic potion thingies! Derpy, you gotta get up there and distract her before she fires again!” While Trixie barked out orders, Nightmare Moon had already summoned another bolt and took aim at the unprotected balloon. “Hey, Black Snooty!” Nightmare Moon snapped her head down, her eyes completely encased in white light. Despite the lack of pupils, she still managed a stare of hatred directly at the pink pony addressing her. “Who dares sully our name with such disrespect?!” Down below, ponies made space between themselves and Pinkie Pie. The earth pony gave a sharp salute with one hoof and aimed a blue cannon on red wheels with the other. “Just so you know, I can’t stand party poopers, so let’s lighten you up!” With a tug of a string attached to the back of the device, the cannon fired, sparks and confetti spewing from the barrel. Nightmare Moon laughed. “You can’t be ser—” Something warm and slimy impacted her muzzle. In a most unregal display, Nightmare Moon spit, sputtered, and pawed at the vile substance covering her face. The thing refused to dislodge, seemingly oozing its way higher up her head until it reached her dark blue helmet. With growing disgust and anger, Nightmare Moon felt her helmet wrenched off her head, a tuft of blue mane escaping from its confines to drape across her brow. An unholy scream released from her throat and she blasted the drippy substance with as much magic as she could gather. The blob finally dislodged, taking her helmet with her. She saw a green slime creature fall into Pinkie Pie’s outstretched hooves, her helmet held in its center. “I… This… You…” “Good job, Smoozie!” Pinkie said, patting the newly christened puddle of ooze. Words failed Nightmare Moon. She fell back on actions instead. Screaming with more rage and hatred than a normal pony could contain, she charged her horn, forming a sphere of concentrated darkness over her head. “DIE!” She thrust her hooves forward, sending the all-consuming death ball towards the Paradise. In a flash of white, a giant tennis racket appeared above the stunned Returners. With a single flick, the racket smacked the oncoming attack with ease, sending it back towards its caster. Nightmare Moon only had a second to stare dumbly at the scene before getting plowed by her own magic. Her incoherent screeches were heard as she was blasted back and disappeared into the horizon. A collective blink from the group followed. The tennis racket morphed in on itself, forming a new figure who dropped down on the deck with a flourish. “Fifteen-Love!” Discord bowed to his gathered audience. “Sorry to interfere with what I’m sure was going to be a splendid team building experience, but that one was a teensie bit above your level. I’m confident you’ll do better next time.” He made to snap himself away, but a sword wedge between his fingers prevented that. Trixie now had Discord’s undivided attention. Levitating back Save the Queen, she said, “Before you pop out of here to wherever it is you go, mind explaining what the hay that was all about?” Discord snorted and waved her off. “Oh, just a stick in the mud that thinks she’s all that and then some. But since you’re so curious, she’s an alicorn that may or may not have a claim to a long lost kingdom.” He grinned, flashing too many teeth to be sincere. “Survive long enough and you may just figure more of this out. “Before I go, just let me say I love the new airship, Pinkie Pie!” He spread his arms wide, a large bag appearing in front of him. It fell to the deck and spilled its contents, revealing a small mountain of gil. “Though you may want to think in investing in more cannons. You might just need them down the line.” With a final laugh, he vanished in a flash of light. For several minutes, the only sound was the wind and the humming of the Paradise’s engines. Hesitantly, Sunset Shimmer gathered up magic in her horn, aiming it at the bag of spilt gil. “Stop.” Trixie held up a hoof, forestalling the casting. Sunset gave her a credulous look. “Are you serious? It’s gotta be cursed.” “Trust Trixie, it’s not.” She trotted up to the bag, levitating it up and gathering the scattered gil back into it. She passed it over to Stardust, placing it on his back. The chocobo’s legs nearly buckled under the weight. “Get a count of that. We’re probably going to be needing it soon.” “I’ll… get… on… it,” Stardust gasped out. He slowly stepped towards the stairs leading down. He barely made it halfway when Big Macintosh nudged him, making the bag tilt over until the burden was shared by both of their backs. “Thanks.” Nodding, Big Macintosh and Stardust headed off. Watching them go until they were out of sight, Sunset turned to Trixie. “How can you be so sure? Why would he help us if he knows we’re out to stop him?” “Haven’t you been paying attention?” Trixie said, inspecting the blade of her sword before sheathing it. “This is all a game to him and we are his little pawns. Pawns don’t entertain when they’re dead. “Well, we’re not going to be pawns for much longer. Trixie intends to win this game.” Sunset sighed and shook her head. “Okay, I gotta know. Why are you so determined to go through with this? What did he do to you?” A far-off look entered Trixie’s gaze. She blinked and shook her head. Heading for the cabins below, Trixie said over her shoulder, “He took away the only family I ever had.” Mouth hung open, Sunset could only watch as Trixie opened the cabin door and closed it behind her. .o.O.o. Within the cabin area, Trixie headed towards the available rooms, peeking her head into each one. The third room held her quarry. Trixie stepped in and closed the door behind her. On the other side of the room, swinging on a hammock, lay Derpy. She lifted her head up and folded her ears back when she saw who had come in. “Um, hi.” Giving the pegasus a shrewd look, Trixie said, “Trixie isn’t going to mince words: why didn’t you help in the fight just now?” Derpy lowered her head down until it was hanging off the hammock. “I was scared.” “Scared? Just yesterday you punched a dragon thirty times our size in the face and then electrocuted it.” A smirk graced Derpy’s features. “Yeah, that was pretty cool, wasn’t it?” “Focus! Why could you do that but not against Nightmare Moon?” Derpy shivered. “I… well, it’s just that… I… I don’t know.” She huffed in exasperation. “I guess the dragon just didn’t seem as scary to me. You remember when I told you there was that big black thing flying around that I had to hide from? I’m pretty sure it was that.” She sighed and swung her hoof back in forth. “Guess that doesn’t make much sense.” “Not really, no.” Trixie ran a hoof through her mane, gritting her teeth. “Look, you are the only pegasus that we’ve got. You’ve also got a good grip on your magic. We need that kind of help more than ever. Now, Trixie is great and powerful in tactics and battle but this whole touchy-feely stuff that Pinkie Pie keeps rambling on about is something she’s still working on. So forgive Trixie when she says that she needs you to get your act together before we face that thing again. And it will be back, mark Trixie’s words.” Having said all she wanted to say, Trixie turned and left the room. Derpy sighed again, looking down at the floor. “Stupid Black Snooty.” .o.O.o. A cursory inspection of the airship from the Pie sisters found no damage done from Nightmare Moon’s attack, other than the floorboards that she had crushed. They all agreed it was a minor miracle. They also agreed that the Paradise needed to be equipped with weapons as soon as possible to deal with further confrontations with crazy flying dark ponies. With the funds graciously given to them by Discord, the opportunity to do so was now, and so a detour was made towards South Fillygaro. The citizens, relatively unmolested by Discord’s shenanigans, were quick to pounce on the chance to work on the airship given how rare they were. The money the chaos lord left behind quickly got put to use. On the second day of retrofitting the Paradise, Cranky Doodle, overseeing the whole operation on the deck, turned to Big Macintosh and asked, “So what kind of ammo do ya think this baby should be usin’? We got cannon balls and such but with all this new fangled magic being thrown around, it seems you’ll be needing something a little more exotic.” “Eeyup,” Big Macintosh agreed. “Been lookin’ into some ideas, and Pinkie Pie says she’s gonna use the slime creature she found as her ‘Surprise Shot’.” “What did she call that thing again?” “The Smooze. Seems to like eating treasure and magical stuff. It dissolved that helmet it took from Nightmare Moon in a couple of hours. Not sure what that means but Pinkie thinks it’s cool.” Cranky shrugged and went back to inspecting the plans laid out for the Paradise. “Suppose that’ll have to do for now.” He looked up and frowned at an earth pony worker hammering replacement boards into the damaged deck. “Hey! You using the redwood or the maple?” The pony jerked and looked up from his work. “Maple, sir!” “No, you idgit! The maple’s for the cabins! Redwood keeps rain from soaking in.” Cranky jabbed a hoof at the deck. “Tear those out and do it right!” “Sir, y-yes sir!” The pony rushed off to find a crowbar. Cranky huffed. “Criminy. The help these days. Anyway, once this is all done, where to next?” “The Veldt, then to see Twilight,” Big Macintosh said as he fiddled with a small mechanical device. “I see. Whatcha working on there?” “Not sure yet. But I’m trying to work my magic into it like the Empire did with its magitek.” Cranky gave a nod. “Nice. How’s it going so far?” The little device began to smoke seconds before part of it burst apart in a spray of sparks. Big Macintosh sighed. “Not so good.” Chuckling, Cranky said, “Ah, you’ll figure it out. Setbacks are a part of the invention process. Now let’s take a break and go yell at more workers.” .o.O.o. The following day, the Paradise lifted off from South Fillygaro, heavy on artillery and cabin furnishings but lighter on gil. The airship once again headed east, over land and water. Shifts were taken to keep an eye out for Nightmare Moon, with two Pie sisters and two magic users on guard at all times. As the sun was going down over the horizon, Pinkie Pie made the announcement that they had finally reached the Veldt. Besides being pushed further north by Discord’s tampering with the land, the savannah looked as it did a year ago, with herds of animals of all types grazing upon the expansive sea of grass. A few flybys were made, all crew leaning over the side to catch a glimpse of anything that resembled a zebra. On their third pass, Marble signaled to Pinkie, pointing out at a small pinprick of red against the darkening landscape. With so much open space available, it was no problem finding a landing spot and soon the Returners disembarked. A quick gallop later brought them to the spot that Marble pointed out and sure enough, a fire large enough for them to all sit around greeted them. Sitting next to the fire, wearing a brown cloak, and seemingly unsurprised to see the group approaching her, was Zecora. “It is good to see you again, my friends,” she said, gracing them with a smile. “Welcome to my homeland of lands ends.” “You stretched on that one,” Trixie stated, coming up to stand next to her. Zecora chucked. “That is so and it’s true, but I haven’t spoken much to anypony until you.” She pointed towards a makeshift basket of dried fruits and vegetables. “I don’t have much but please take some food. I find it helps lighten the mood.” Shrugging, Trixie levitated a carrot out of the basket and took a bite. Through a mouthful, she said, “Hey, if you’re offering. Thanks.” The others joined in, each taking a piece for themselves and finding a spot around the fire. Once settled, Trixie cleared her throat. “So, Trixie’s going to get straight to the point. We came to ask if you’d join us in defeating Discord.” The zebra closed her eyes and spoke a few words in her native language. Derpy’s ears perked up but didn’t interrupt Zecora’s personal monologue. After a minute, Zecora half opened her eyes and stared at Trixie, making the unicorn squirm a bit. “This one accepts but with one request. Help me find my village and I’ll join your quest. This land is vast but even so, there is no sign of my birthplace, this I know.” “Oh, it’s too bad you didn’t run into us sooner,” Sunset Shimmer said, showing a rare smile. “It’s no longer in the Veldt. It’s south of here. We can get there in the airship in no time. Oh, and you can meet Twilight!” Zecora ears perked up. “Twilight Sparkle?” “You know her?” Zecora nodded. Sunset beamed even more. “That’s great! You can see your village and we can check in and see how Twilight’s doing.” Her features fell as she continued. “But you’re probably not going to like what you see there. Dis—that jerk turned all your people to stone.” Zecora took in a sharp breath. Her face contorted into a fearsome scowl that raised the hairs on everypony nearby. “Then we have no time to lose. We shall go and restore them and then I’ll help you make Discord pay his dues.” She abruptly stood up, causing the Returners to flinch back. Her gaze found Stardust. “Help me find some ingredients I need? I can make a potion but will need your speed.” Nodding rapidly, Stardust said, “S-sure thing. Whatever you need, I can find it.” Zecora bowed low to him and everypony present. “Then let us make haste. Knowing that my village is in peril leaves me with… distaste.” “Um.” Derpy waved a hoof up, gaining Zecora’s attention. “Perhaps you should wait until morning? It’ll be easier to see and a lot of the carnivores that live here will be asleep then.” Taking a deep breath, Zecora nodded. “Yes, you’re right. It will be too dangerous at night. Morning will come, this is true, and then we can work on making our brew.” “Glad that’s all sorted out,” Trixie said, rising up. “Want to stay in the airship? It’ll be comfier than out here.” Zecora smiled and shook her head. “I would like to sleep outside for one more night. Do not worry, I will be alright.” “Suit yourself.” Trixie gave a half wave and trotted back to the airship, followed soon after by the rest of the Returners. Once alone again, Zecora laid back down next to the fire, adding more twigs and chaff to keep it alight. For a time she silently stared at the fire, gazing into its depths. She took her cloak off and spread it across the ground to lay on it, exposing her coat to the cool night air of the Veldt. “Strange how my life has led me back here and not find what I was looking for. Tomorrow starts a new adventure and perhaps even more. Will this new journey help me clear my past deeds, or will I be consumed like these weeds?” Zecora sighed and closed her eyes. “May whatever gods exist be on our side, for we are all in store for a rough ride.”